Dominic Nitiwul
Former Defence Minister, Dominic Nitiwul, has described the 2025 budget as a “chop-chop” scheme designed by the government.
He expressed concerns over the government’s expenditure priorities, particularly the allocation of GH¢3.7 billion to General Government Services without clear details on how the funds will be utilised.
Taking his turn on the budget debate, Mr. Nitiwul argued that critical ministries, such as the Ministry of Labour, Jobs and Employment, the Ministry of Youth Development and Empowerment, and the Ministry of Sports and Recreation, have been starved of capital expenditure (CapEx), leaving them with no funds to undertake developmental projects.
“Mr. Speaker, how will the government explain to the people of Ghana that the Ministry of Labour, Jobs and Employment has zero allocation for capital expenditure? The Ministry of Sports and Recreation has no CapEx, yet they have promised to rehabilitate key sports facilities such as Baba Yara Sports Stadium and Accra Sports Stadium. Where is the money coming from?” he quizzed.
Mr. Nitiwul further accused the government of misplacing priorities by allocating huge sums to judgment debt payments and land compensation under capital expenditure.
He questioned why judgment debts were given GH¢661 million under CapEx when such allocations should be meant for infrastructure development.
“Mr. Speaker, how can judgment debt have CapEx? What are they going to build with judgment debt? Land compensation has been given GH¢200 million under CapEx. What are they constructing with land compensation?” he lamented.
He warned that similar budgetary misallocations in the past led to financial scandals, referencing the infamous Woyome judgment debt case.
Mr. Nitiwul, who is also the Member of Parliament (MP) for Bimbilla, called on the government to redirect funds from ambiguous allocations towards essential development projects like Agenda 111, which has not been given sufficient funding.
“Why are you starving ministries that are supposed to create jobs and empower the youth while prioritising CapEx for judgment debt? Mr. Speaker, the Finance Minister must go back to Cabinet and reallocate the GH¢400 million from these questionable expenditures to sectors that will benefit Ghanaians,” he stated.
He also challenged the Finance Minister to provide a detailed breakdown of the GH¢3.7 billion allocated to General Government Services, insisting that Parliament should not approve the budget without transparency on how the money will be spent.
“Ghanaians deserve transparency and accountability in this budget. We must not allow wasteful spending while essential ministries are left without resources,” he emphasised.
“Last year, we insisted that the government explain its allocations under General Government Services, and we must do the same this year. If the Finance Minister does not provide a detailed breakdown of this GH¢3.7 billion, Parliament must reject the budget,” Nitiwul asserted.
By Ernest Kofi Adu, Parliament House